Massachusetts Horse December/January 2017

M A S S AC H U S E T T S

HORSE

MASSACHUSETTS HORSE BENEFIT ADVENTURE TRAIL

December/January 2017 mahorse.com $4

SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 page 14

PUNKATASSET AND ESTABROOK WOODS TRAIL GUIDE page 20

A BETTER RELATIONSHIP

THROUGH YOUR HORSE’S EYES MINDFUL CONNECTIONS page 22

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December/January 2017

contents

December/January 2017

columns 10 Holiday Gift Guide

8

20 Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods

Melissa Root

Heather Perry

Support Local Equestrians and Businesses!

16

Concord Trail Guide

22 A Better Relationship Through Your Horse’s Eyes Mindful Connections

34 Bay State Happenings Elizabeth Adams

Event Photos

14

18

in every issue

features 8 Kathy Roberts

5 From the Publisher

16

Kids, Horses, and a Whole Lotta Lessons

Sterling Pointe Farm Many Disciplines Under One Roof

Horseperson Feature

Farm Feature

7 Your Letters 24 Overherd: News in Our Community 30 Partners 33 Horsemanship Awards

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37 This Olde Horse

Massachusetts Horse Benefit Adventure Trail September 24, 2016 Lend a Hoof

18

Brianna Pollock

38 Massachusetts Events Calendar 40 The Neighborhood

Totally Aligned with Her Purpose

41 Is This Your Horse?

Youth Spotlight

41 Advertiser Index

Massachusetts Horse

3

From the Publisher he first snow will soon be upon us. The stillness as it

T

narians, farriers, tack shops, feed stores, or the tractor dealers

falls and blankets our world, the uniqueness of the

in the next county. To keep our community healthy and strong

flakes, the serenity it imparts — all serve to remind

we need to support these businesses and keep our dollars in

us that winter is a magical time. My favorite sounds of the sea-

the local economy. Buy locally. Tell our advertisers you read

son are the early-morning

about them in Massachusetts

songs of the chickadees as

Horse. For gift-giving inspira-

they flit among the hemlock

tion locally, our Gift Guide

branches and the crunchy

begins on page 10.

squeak of snow on a very cold

I hope you’ll put up your

evening. I love the frost on my

feet with a cup of something

horses’ eyelashes on a cold

hot and delicious and enjoy

early morning, the way the

this issue. We certainly have

snow shines like glitter in the

enjoyed putting it together

moonlight, and watching my

with you in mind.

horses move silently through the new snow in their pasture.

Haflinger mares Caszual and Cat at Pocketful of Ponies Farm coming in from the pasture on a hot and muggy summer day. One of the great joys of winter — no bugs!

May your winter be a magical one.

A big part of our community is the businesses that sustain

Stephanie

us and our horses, be it local boarding stables, trainers, veteri-

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HORSE vol. 15, no. 4 December/January 2017

ISSN 1945-1393

99 Bissell Road, Williamsburg, MA 01096 phone: (413) 268-3302 • fax: (413) 268-0050 • mahorse.com Massachusetts Horse magazine is an independently owned and -operated all-breed, all-discipline equestrian publication for the Bay State. © 2017 Massachusetts Horse All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this magazine or portions thereof in any form without prior written permission.

Mortality & Major Medical . Farm Packages Horse Associations and Clubs . Directors & Officers Horse Shows, Clinics, Events . Expo Coverage Instructor Liability . Payment Plans We will provide you with competitive rates, educated service, and help substantiate values.

Terri Ray (781) 837-6550 donrayinsurance.com Insure your equine partner with a leading equine agent!

publisher/editor Stephanie Sanders • steph@mahorse.com • (413) 268-3302 editor Toni Leland

copy editor Kathaleen Emerson

feature writers Nicole Birkholzer, Andrea Bugbee,Thom Gifford Alessandra Mele, Stacey Stearns contributors Susan Goldfischer, Suzy Lucine, Denise Kellicker, Diane Merritt Laurie Neely, Katharine Oikle, Julia Pesek, Liz Russell, Cora Shillinglaw county desk liaisons Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties Alessandra Mele • (413) 949-1972 • alessandra@mahorse.com Barnstable County Cora Shillinglaw • (508) 737-6810 • shillinglawc@gmail.com Bristol County Melissa Root • (508) 863-0467 • melissa@mahorse.com Essex County Holly Jacobson • (978) 356-5842 • holly@mahorse.com Middlesex, Norfolk, and Plymouth Counties Jacqueleen Kareh • (781) 467-8555 • elkarehphotography@gmail.com Worcester County Karen Morang • (508) 797-2828 • karen@mahorse.com

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advertising main office • (413) 268-3302 • ads@mahorse.com Advertising deadline for the February/March issue is January 10.

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December/January 2017

Max © Katie Upton, katieupton.com

Massachusetts Horse is printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper.

the fine print The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Massachusetts Horse staff or independent contractors, nor can they be held accountable. Massachusetts Horse will not be held responsible for any misrepresentations or any copyright infringement on the part of advertisers. Massachusetts Horse will not be held responsible for typing errors other than a correction in the following issue. All letters addressed to Massachusetts Horse, its publisher, editor, and staff are assumed for publication. Photos, stories (verbal or printed), notifications, news items, and all other material that is submitted, including all materials and photos not specifically solicited by Massachusetts Horse, are assumed to be legally released by the submitter for publication. Massachusetts Horse assumes no responsibility for damage to or loss of material submitted for publication. Reasonable care will be taken to ensure the safety and return of all materials.

Your Letters To the editor:

Alessandra Mele

In our mission, we state that we honor horses, history, culture, ecology, and interdependence and that we work to connect people with an opportunity to know horses better, specifically our country’s great work horses. We strive to raise awareness of our shared history and the potentially bright future we can create together, in partnership.

Massachusetts Horse is doing the same thing. It’s an essential community builder for the horse people in our area.

Lena Pasquini and Cassie Weglarz and Mario at the Massachusetts Horse Benefit Adventure Trail.

Blue Star Equiculture has been well supported by Massachusetts Horse, and welcomed us back in the beginning — in 2009 when we first started out. They continue to write articles about our vision and mission, visit and donate time and money to our horses’ care, and promote important events for us. Blue Star was also the beneficiary of three wonderful Massachusetts Horse Benefits that collectively raised more than $15,000 for our Blue Star horses and their care.

We’re profoundly grateful for the all of the support, and especially this year’s Massachusetts Horse Benefit Adventure Trail held at the Mele family’s Sandalwood Stables in Wilbraham. Three of our Blue Star horses participated and won third place!

We’re so amazed and inspired by all of the generous and compassionate horse people that came out to support our retired, disabled, and previously homeless work horses.

Thank you to all who supported this year’s Massachusetts Horse Benefit!

Pamela Rickenbach, director Blue Star Equiculture Draft Horse Sanctuary, Palmer

Let us know your thoughts

and we’ll enter you to win a $25 Cheshire Horse gift card. All letters received by January 5 will have a chance in the drawing. Send your letters to: steph@mahorse.com or Massachusetts Horse, 99 Bissell Rd. Williamsburg, MA 01096.

Massachusetts Horse

7

Horseperson Feature

Amherst

by Andrea Bugbee

“

Kathy Roberts

Kids, Horses, and a Whole Lotta Lessons

I

thought I was going to be an accountant, but . . . ” Kathy Roberts, owner of Muddy Brook Farm in Amherst, says shrugging sheepishly.

She’s sitting near her outdoor arena wearing work boots, jeans, and an oversized sweatshirt with COACH KATHY embroidered on the front. All around her is the happy evidence of what happens when you mix nearly 40 school horses, a ton of kids from preschool through college, and a generous horsewoman who rarely says no.

Needless to say, there isn’t a calculator in sight.

and a new indoor arena. “We grow a little bit each year,” she says.

The Roberts family now cares for 68 horses on the same property where Kathy kept her first horse when she was

Although Kathy’s parents separated when she was in kindergarten, she grew up close to both, and each had a farm.

Kathy’s father, Barry Roberts, owns a construction and property management business and has kept draft horses for years. Her mother, Sharon Roberts, ran a farm in Deerfield in the 1980s.

Kathy grew up with horsemanship in her genes, so when it came time for college, it wasn’t surprising that her trail toward accounting kept ending at stables instead.

After attending Post College, Kathy spent a year in Florida as a working student for dressage rider Linda JaskielBrown. Then, Kathy accepted a position teaching at and managing Undermountain Farm in Lenox. After a decade there and with her oldest child Steven on the way, Kathy gave up horses for a less time-consuming career: she moved back to Amherst to work in her father’s business. It wasn’t long, however, before her tie to horses lassoed her again.

“People knew I was an instructor and they’d ask me if I could help them with their horse, so teaching just kind of happened, I guess,” she says. “I found that teaching is what I love to do.” Within a couple of years, Kathy was offering an after-school Horses and Hot Chocolate program that eventually blossomed into regular lessons. “Over the last 15 years, it’s evolved,” she says, pointing out the original barn, now flanked by other barns, outbuildings, 8

December/January 2017

Heather Perry

Destiny on Four Hooves

a kid. Additionally, her dad owns Muddy Brook Farm Drafts, a 200-acre farm on Bay Road in South Amherst, and has recently also occupied a 27-stall facility on Bay Road in Hadley. They harvest almost all of their own hay and Barry still runs his property management business.

Oh, and, that baby Kathy was expecting? Steven is 17 now and about to graduate from high school. Kathy also has a 12-year-old daughter, Sarah.

Over the years, Kathy has enjoyed many successes with her horses and riders. In 2014, the Muddy Brook Farm Middle School IEA team placed fifth in the National IEA Finals competition. In 2015 and 2016, individual Muddy

Brook IEA riders won their respective divisions at the IEA National Finals.

Friendly Farm Host to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst dressage team, the Hampshire College Intercollegiate Horse Show Association hunt seat team, and its own IEA team, Muddy Brook Farm looks more like an illustration from a children’s book than a typical New England show barn. It’s a friendly collection of buildings and barns, almost like a miniature Western town. Cozily blanketed horses mill about in roomy paddocks, many sharing hay from covered round bales. Snowy white chickens preen and tilt their heads inside a twotiered hen house. A sign near one of the tack rooms begs PLEASE TAKE HOME DIRTY STINKY ITEMS. Chairs bunched in clusters beyond the rails of two outdoor rings, and a couple of hoodies and forgotten water bottles are all telltale signs of the comfortable busy-ness that forms this farm’s chi.

Jackie Cimino of Amherst, one of Kathy’s valued instructors, sums up Muddy Brook in one sentence: “Even though we show a lot, it’s not a very uptight barn.”

Horse care is one of the ways that Muddy Brook differs from a stereotypical show barn. The majority of the herd either has full-day turnout, a stall with open access to a paddock, or 24-hour paddocking with open-access shelters.

In a stable where two-thirds of the herd works in the lesson program, Kathy has a philosophy that has served her well: “Lots of turnout; lots of hay,” she says.

“My horses are happy. Even our show horses are out almost all the time, unless the weather is bad, and none of the school horses are grumpy.”

An abundance of fresh air and freedom seems to suit Kathy’s riders as well.

Sheryl Waxler has been bringing her daughter, Isabel, to Muddy Brook for lessons for 11 years. She makes an analogy between Muddy Brook and the old neighborhoods of the 50s, 60s, and 70s where children’s time was less structured and everybody kept an eye out for everyone else. “They go to Muddy

Brook and they can explore, learn, get guidance, be safe, and there’s a freedom there that I think is lacking for children in our world today.”

As a result, Sheryl says, “the kids learn not only how to ride, but horsemanship. They have to be responsible there. There are no grooms. There’s no one there doing the work for them.”

“My staff is amazing, and the kids are amazing,” Kathy confirms, describing busy afternoons where she’ll be teaching in one ring, while keeping an eye on riders hacking in another ring nearby. “What I hear from people — why they like being here — is it’s a community,” she says. “The older kids, my ‘barn rats,’ are literally here all day in the summers. As long as they’re taking regular lessons with me, if they help, they ride. It’s social. It’s like their hangout, really.”

Schoolmarm If Muddy Brook Farm is its own little village, then Kathy Roberts is definitely the schoolmarm. Just as in a one-room schoolhouse, she has students of varying ages and goals, she encourages the older students to help the younger ones, and she teaches lessons that go far beyond the primer. In an equestrian world full of riders who teach, it’s probably more accurate to describe Kathy as a teacher who rides.

“Kathy sees in her students not just their riding, but their bigger story; their successes outside of their riding successes,” says Sheryl. “She’s willing to meet each kid where they’re at. She doesn’t treat them like little automatons.” If there’s some kind of a problem, Sheryl says, “She’ll often throw it back on the kids. She’ll teach them a problem-solving approach. She wants them to think through what needs to happen. They really learn about horses and life, not just how to ride.”

At a recent IEA lesson, Kathy had her team sit down in a circle and, rather than coaching them on balance or boot cleaning, she coached their confidence and camaraderie, instead. She did this simply by asking each rider to go around the circle and say where every one of their teammates excels.

Althea Dabrowski of Amherst boards her draft cross, Willow, at Muddy Brook, and two of her granddaughters ride with Kathy as well. This former art teacher enjoys the pleasant commotion that comes with a barn where the backdrop is kids uniting over a love of horses. Describing Muddy

Brook students at a recent show, she says, “They’re riding against each other, but they’re riding for each other. It’s really wonderful to have that. They own what they do, but there seems to be a collective for the whole. It’s not for the ribbons. It’s for the personal reward of riding well.”

Of course, Muddy Brook lessons certainly aren’t all pony rides and group hugs. Jackie applauds Kathy’s precision in “ . . . describing the feel and where you are in your position.”

Sheryl credits Kathy’s ability to “ . . . look at the whole picture,” with Althea echoing that observation by saying, “Kathy has the ability to work with the whole package — the rider and the horse that they’re riding.”

Explaining what fuels her through very long days, Kathy says, “It’s not the winning, it’s the bigger skills you’re putting into [each student’s] life: a good work ethic; learning that sometimes hard work doesn’t mean you’re going to win; being a good teammate; being able to plan; being able to manage stress; and I love it when they have that ‘ahhh’ moment — when everything clicks.”

Giving to the Greater Herd Kathy doesn’t just have a reputation of giving her all to her students, she has a reputation for giving her all to the greater horse community, as well.

Sheryl observes, “Kathy is an incredibly generous person. She doesn’t say ‘no’ a lot. She’s committed to the horse world.

She does so much in her community.

It’s pretty stunning, if you think about it.” Between her father’s carriage-ride business, pony rides at local events, even loaning horses to area IEA stables short on show horses when it’s their turn to host [an IEA show], Kathy continually does what she can, whenever she can, to help.”

“That’s how I was raised; it’s just who I am,” Kathy says, seemingly surprised that anyone would find her generosity worthy of note. Then she described a day this fall when she and Jackie stayed up until 3 a.m. body-clipping horses for a show. Kathy just sips her very large iced coffee and laughs off long nights like that.

“I do this because I love to do this,” she says matter-of-factly. “I love the kids.

I love the horses.”

Andrea Bugbee is a freelance reporter. She lives with her husband and their children in Southwick.

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Elizabeth Adams

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Lend a Hoof

The Massachusetts Horse Benefit Adventure Trail

held September 24 raised $2,500 for Blue Star Equiculture Draft Horse Sanctuary. The day combined a sevenmile hunter pace, a timed obstacle course, and a horsemanship-knowledge quiz for riders of all ages and abilities.

In the past 12 years, Massachusetts Horse has raised more than $60,500 for horse-related nonprofits in the Bay State.

Sixty-six horse-and-rider pairs enjoyed gorgeous trails, fun competition, horse-drawn wagon rides, delicious food, and ribbons and prizes for each phase of the day as well as a Best Team Spirit Award, a Bull in the China Shop Award (most obstacles knocked down), a Timely Tortoise Award (slowest time on obstacle course), and the Most Creative Dismount Award (that wasn't awarded as there were no unintended “dismounts.”)

A very special thank you to Robin “Chick” Taylor who envisioned and created the amazing trails; Massachusetts Horse writer Alessandra Mele and her family for hosting the benefit, creating and building the course, volunteering at every turn, and making us all feel right at home; Blue Star Equiculture Working Horse Sanctuary volunteers for the daily love and support they provide to the horses in their care; volunteers, supporters, friends, photographers, and family; our sponsors and advertisers; and all the riders.

Save the date of September 23, 2017, for the 13th annual Massachusetts Horse Benefit Adventure Trail in Wilbraham to benefit the MSPCA Equine Center at Nevins Farm in Methuen!

14

December/January 2017

To see more photos, find us on Facebook: Massachusetts Horse Benefit.

Alessandra Mele

Thank you to the sponsors of the Massachusetts Horse Benefit Adventure Trail!

The Mele Family hosted the benefit at their Sandalwood Stables in Wilbraham where friends and family volunteered.

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Blue Star’s Percheron Mario gave spectators wagon rides up into the hunter pace trails and field. The timed obstacle course included ten tasks that you’d find on the trail.

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Farm Feature Rochester

by Thom Gifford

Sterling Pointe Farm Many Disciplines Under One Roof

S

terling Pointe Farm, owned by the Goldman family, is a beautifully landscaped, thoughtfully designed, and well-built horse facility that is secluded, yet welcoming. From the impressive entrance on the Rochester– Middleboro town line, a long asphalt drive brings you to a spacious paved and manicured parking area.

You are immediately aware that this is a quality facility.

The farm is situated on more than 40 secluded acres, well off the road, and with access to three miles of wooded trails.

The covered main doorway of the barn leads to the bright and beautiful stall area. Antler chandeliers are a perfect touch, as are the clean and inviting heavy pine benches.

Spacious stalls and wide aisles with plenty of natural light and several fans show the investment of many years of experience in barn planning.

Everything is well maintained, a sure indication of the concern and care provided. A misting system keeps flying insects to a minimum. The interior wash stalls are convenient and well-equipped, as are the exterior wash areas.

Possibly the first impression while driving in and parking is the landscaping that uses native stones and boulders; native pine, oak, and maple; decorative giant grasses; and many planted trees and shrubs. The barn is well placed with plenty of room to maneuver in and out with trucks and trailers. The gravel drive leads to a lane between the whitefenced paddocks, at the end of which is the horse trailer parking area. In an outdoor sitting area away from the barn, a pergola surrounded with ornamental grasses and plantings looks to be an inviting place to spend time, perhaps to discuss the day’s activities.

The spacious and bright 200' x 80' indoor arena has an enclosed loftlevel viewing room that adjoins an office area. The restrooms on this 16

December/January 2017

level even have a shower — further evidence of the meticulous thought invested in the facility. Out of sight, yet readily accessible, utility areas allow undercover parking for the tractors and equipment. A fully enclosed garage building is located nearby, but safely away from the barn areas; it

investors, and the reason for the beauty of Sterling Pointe Farm, did an exemplary job of developing, building, landscaping, and mentoring the farm for its first decade. The Goldman family bought the property and set up Alex Goldman as farm manager, with trainer Bill Ritchie as his mentor. A good combination, as the stalls are full, the barn and property is in excellent shape, and the atmosphere is relaxing.

Alex Goldman

holds bulk shavings, keeping them dry and ready for use. With five outside riding areas and two dressage rings, riders should never feel crowded. After working your horse in the riding areas, you can cool down and relax on three miles of groomed trails.

Thirty-one paddocks are bright and sunny, dry and clean. The lane of white fencing emphasizes the quality and care that went into planning; no evidence of saggy gates here! Nelson automatic waterers in each paddock supply a year-round supply of ice-free, clean water.

A nice feature is an area of former stalls that is now part of the Sterling Pointe Farm Tack and Gift Shop, well-stocked with necessities such as fly spray and shampoos, gently used show clothing, accessories, and gift items. Boarders will have no need to travel and lose precious barn time to pick up supplies.

Sterling Pointe Farm also offers a blanket washing service; you’ll find a new extra-heavy-duty washing machine, a heated blanket drying rack, and a dryer for smaller items and clothing.

The Schilling family, the original

While attending a summer program at Rock Valley Farm in West Brookfield, Alex was first introduced to the horse world.

“For the first few days there, I would not go near a horse,” says Alex, “they just seemed intimidating.

Someone bribed me with $5 to get on and, after just a few minutes on that horse, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I started riding lessons once a week, then twice a week, soon I was spending almost every day at Rock Valley Farm. They had mostly Quarter Horses, but my first horse was a Paint named Booker. Soon I was trail-riding every chance I had, while still taking lessons.”

After graduating high school, Alex moved to Westwood and boarded Booker at Sterling Pointe Farm. Under the tutelage of trainers Bill Ritchie and Roger Flood, Alex started showing in western pleasure, English pleasure, hunt seat, and halter. Then dressage lessons with Maria Harrington led Alex to competing in dressage. He also learned to drive and still enjoys a trip around the Farm on the groomed trail system with horses Zara and Nemo.

Alex graduated from the excellent equine program at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He brings a great work ethic to Sterling Pointe Farm, as well as some fresh ideas and innovations like the tack and gift shop.

Being the manager at Sterling Pointe Farm brings Alex to an entirely different set of instruction.

He has learned to drive a tractor, drag the indoor and outdoor rings, paint, fix the inevitable broken whatevers, and trailer horses.

When asked about his most memorable achievement, Alex says without pause that it was showing at the Deerfield Fair in 2015. Alex and Weedie (Weedo’s Reward) won in Halter, Open Appaloosa Western Pleasure, Open English Pleasure, and were awarded high-point English Pleasure in New England.

Alex looks forward to continuing to trail ride and further his horsemanship with the excellent help of Bill, Roger, and dressage trainer Maria Harrington.

Bill Ritchie Training Stable at Sterling Pointe Farm Long a presence in the horse community and based originally in Falmouth, Bill Ritchie brings more than 40 years of experience to the design and construction of the Sterling Pointe Farm facilities. Warm and cordial, Bill is the quintessential horseman — you immediately feel a kinship and sense his confidence. While Bill focuses on western pursuits, his partner, Roger Flood, is the saddle seat and English part of their team. Offering lessons from beginner to advanced students, both trainers have years of knowledge and experience.

Soon after establishing Sterling Pointe Farm, Bill suffered a debilitating back injury. Like most injuries that befall experienced horse people, this happened while schooling a young girl’s horse — a proven horse without previous behavior problems.

During his recovery, Bill was able to polish up the buildings, grounds, and management part of the business so as to offer an even better experience to students and boarders.

Roger Flood has been professionally training for more than 30 years and specializes in Morgans, Saddlebreds, saddle seat equitation, and pleasure. He has horses and riders competing in Park, English Pleasure, Hunt Seat Pleasure, Pleasure Equitation, Country Pleasure, and in-hand classes.

“I enjoy guiding riders of all ages along the path to realizing their goals,” says Roger, “whether just for

personal pleasure or competing in the show ring.”

Maria Harrington Maria Harrington is an FEI trainer and USDF silver medalist who has competed through Intermediate I. She began her riding career working with international three-day event rider Mark Weissbecker and later focused on dressage with international competitor Gerd Reuter.

Maria teaches lessons, gives clinics, and judges Pony Club events and schooling shows throughout New England. She has coached many riders and horses to USDF bronze, silver, and gold medals.

“Maria uses clear and positive teaching and training methods,” says Alex, “and empowers students to develop their own feel, while applying the classical system to achieve personal riding goals.”

Alex’s fondest memories are the camaraderie and sense of shared purpose with people at equine-related activities he attends.

Horseman and outdoorsman, Thom Gifford is involved with Myles Standish State Forest as a founding director of the Friends of MSSF.

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Massachusetts Horse

17

Palmer

Youth Spotlight

Brianna Pollock Totally Aligned with Her Purpose

by Alessandra Mele

S

eventeen-year-old Brianna Pollock is walking purposefully toward a herd of seven patient horses. Her long braided hair is piled on top of her head, carried with the poise of a woman well beyond her years. Just behind her trail three younger girls who have come to help feed the horses. They also walk with a sense of pride and deliberateness that they are clearly drawing from Brianna’s radiating example.

Together they gather hay and grain, taking with the utmost seriousness the responsibility of the horses’ wellbeing that is in their young hands.

Brianna’s mother, Judy Cockerton, observes from a distance and she can’t help but beam with pride, even at such an everyday scene. “These are lovely young women; some come to the farm with their therapists, others are dropped off by grandparents after school, and many are living with their foster families,” she says.

“Brianna is a fabulous role model — giving them hope, as well as real skills, both in the saddle and on the ground. The kids love her because she understands their lives.”

Alongside her mother, Brianna helped to establish Birdsong Farm, now at Blue Star Equiculture in Palmer, to provide animal-based programming for children living in foster care. Since 2010, Brianna has helped the program to flourish, continuously drawing inspiration from her own life experiences and insatiable love for horses.

Finding Her Purpose When Brianna was eight years old, she came home from the barn one day and greeted her mother with a huge smile.

“Mom, you know how Michael Jackson is totally aligned with his purpose when he’s singing and dancing?” Brianna said. Judy confirmed she knew this.

“That’s how I feel when I’m in the saddle!” Brianna said, with excitement.

Judy laughed, overjoyed with Brianna’s realization. “Well, you know what? We’re going to make sure horses are always in your life,” Judy promised her daughter.

Since that time, and even before, horses have always been in Brianna’s life. “Brianna came to our family when she was five months old,” says Judy. “We legally adopted her when she was six years old.”

18 December/January 2017

“From the beginning, one of our nightly traditions was to go to barns nearby and give carrots to the horses,” Brianna says. “I always loved it. I started taking riding lessons when I was three,

and as I got older, I was always hanging out at the barn after school. I couldn’t get enough of them.”

School wasn’t always easy for Brianna, and the horses and riding were what kept her hopeful through difficult times. “I dealt with some depression when I was going to school,” she says. “Sometimes the only thing that would get me up in the morning was the fact that I was going to be able to ride that day. I would look forward to taking care of the horse that I loved. It really kept me going.”

Witnessing the joy and sense of empowerment that horses continually brought to Brianna, Judy began to form the idea of Birdsong Farm. The creation of the program was also driven by Brianna’s own desire to share horses with other kids who’d been placed in foster care. “I had always told my mom how much horses helped me through traumatic times when I was a child, and I really wanted to be able to offer that to kids who are experiencing similar things,” Brianna says. “Horses are special animals; they help people from the inside.”

Birdsong Farm The mother-daughter team began Birdsong Farm when Brianna was 11, and her dedication to the program was fierce. “From the beginning, Brianna was one of our hardest working volunteers,” Judy says. “She would help me pick up the kids in the morning, bring them to the farm, and would spend the entire day teaching the group everything she knew about horses. The kids love her because she understands the complexity of their lives. They see Brianna as one of them — someone who experienced foster care. They also love that she has all this knowledge about horses and is sharing it with her peers who are still in foster care. They truly admire her.”

Brianna loves working with the young people that come to Birdsong Farm, and is always thrilled to witness that magical connection they are able to make with the horses. “It’s incredible to watch the kids interact with the horses,” she says. “We often have children who are very quiet, and may not talk at all. The horses are able to bring something out of them, and suddenly all they want to do is talk! They love the horses. Horses become their friends.

The kids can’t stop telling the horses how beautiful they are and how much they love them. It’s amazing.”

She knows the experience also provides children in foster care an opportunity to simply act their age, and she understands how important that can be when they often feel emotionally overburdened. “Some kids, at only twelve years old or so, have the responsibilities and concerns of adults,” says Brianna. “They look after their siblings and try to keep control of their family situation. When they’re at the farm, they can just be kids, hanging out and running around with the horses. Plus, when you are riding around on a 1,000-pound animal, sitting tall and in control, it’s very empowering.

That gives you the self-confidence to say ‘I can accomplish anything.’”

Brianna has taken on more responsibility at Birdsong Farm as she has matured, and now manages much of the day-to-day operations. “Right now, I’m the barn manager. I make sure that the horses are healthy and well cared

for, tend to their medical needs, make sure their space is clean, and keep them all exercised,” Brianna says. “I’m able to do this because I have been homeschooled for the last three years. My mom is a teacher. She offered this option to me and it has allowed me more time to take care of the horses. I keep the Birdsong Farm program running as part of my homeschooling. It’s been a great opportunity!”

Brianna can see the incredible potential of the work she and Judy do at Birdsong and she wants to continue to work hard to make sure the program grows. She sees herself becoming even more involved, and wants to obtain her riding instructor’s license as soon as she is able. “I’m almost 18,” she says. “Right after my birthday, I plan to get my riding instructor’s license. Then I can teach the kids how to ride and become a trainer for the program. I just want to be able to help in every way that I can.”

Sharing a Love for Horses Brianna closely watches the movements of her beloved herd, walking among them and stroking their manes as they graze peacefully together. They’ve all been welcomed into the Birdsong Farm program through donations and rescue efforts, and Brianna is proud of the unique contributions each horse brings to the mission of Birdsong Farm.

She is particularly excited about a mare and her two offspring that Brianna was able to rescue and reunite.

“It’s very rare that you can reconnect related Premarin horses, because mares and foals are often separated so quickly under those conditions,” says Brianna.

(Premarin is a drug prescribed to millions of women worldwide as a hormone replacement therapy. The drug is produced from the hormones present in a pregnant mare’s urine. Draft horse mares produce the most urine and are usually kept in small standing stalls through their entire pregnancy. The foals are often an unwanted byproduct.) “Children in foster care are able to relate to this family’s story. They see that these [young] horses have healed from a traumatic experience, having been taken away from their mother, and [the children] can immediately relate.

They realize that if the horses can get through something like that, so can they.”

Judy points out parallels with Brianna’s own experiences as a child placed in foster care, and observes what a meaningful act it has been to reunite the family. “For someone who has experienced foster care and had no control over her family’s outcome, Brianna was empowered to bring this equine family back together again,” she says. “She provides them with a really lovely home

together and gives them wonderful care. It’s beautiful.”

The care that Brianna puts into everything she does at Birdsong Farm — whether it’s for the kids, for the horses, or for the volunteers — is ever apparent and is at the very core of Birdsong’s mission. It all comes from a love of horses that grows stronger within Brianna every day.

“My favorite time is early in the morning, when I wake up, go outside, and just see all these horses looking at me as if to say, ‘Good morning! Are you coming down to see me?’ It’s an amazing feeling,” she says, grinning from ear to ear. “I just want all the other kids that come to Birdsong Farm at Blue Star Equiculture to be able to experience that feeling and know that they are in a safe, fun, amazing place.”

There’s no question that Brianna is totally aligned with her purpose. As she finishes the evening feed, she smiles.

The laughter from her young assistants and soft chewing of her happy horses serve as evidence that Brianna is using that purpose to help others in the best way possible.

Alessandra Mele, who lives in Wilbraham, works in marketing at W. F. Young/Absorbine. She enjoys spending time with the horses on her family’s farm, especially riding her Quarter Horse, JoJo.

Massachusetts Horse

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Trail Guide

Concord

Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods

by Stacey Stearns

W

hen I was in eleventh grade, anytime the weather was fair I asked my English teacher, Mr. Mingrone, if we could have class outside. At the end of the year, I received the Henry David Thoreau award, although we never had class outdoors. For me, Concord is a sacred site — home to many literary greats including Thoreau who was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, surveyor, and historian. His “great wild tract” was Estabrook Woods — a rocky muddle of moor-like pastures, swamps, and woods with yellow birch.

Stacey Stearns

One slogan on license plates declares, Massachusetts: The Spirit of America. Bay State trail riders can experience this firsthand at Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods in Concord and Carlisle. The American spirit is felt around every bend in the trail.

Thoreau frequented the trails in Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods, and Walden is nearby. Even if you’re not a history or literary buff, the area oozes with Revolutionary and Colonial character that excites the spirit.

The woods border Minute Man National Historic Park with the Concord River and North Bridge, where the “shot heard round the world” that started the Revolutionary War was fired. Although we can’t ride in the park, Punkatasset Hill played an important role in history. When the British regulars marched into Concord on April 19, 1775, colonials gathered at Punkatasset Hill and, seeing smoke, advanced to North Bridge and engaged the British.

Punkatasset is an Algonquin Native American word for the drumlin-shaped hill. One of the most popular features of the Punkatasset parcel is Hutchins Pond which was man-made in the early 1900s for harvesting ice in the winter.

Now it’s habitat for beavers and other wildlife.

Estabrook Woods is a 675-acre forest belonging to Harvard University that stretches from Concord to Carlisle.

The Davis Corridor is 156 acres managed by the Town of Carlisle and ties into Estabrook Woods via Two Rod Road. Malcolm Preserve is an 11-acre property in Carlisle managed by the

Trustees of Reservations, and is a portal to the 1,300 protected acres in the area.

The connectivity provided by these organizations on the parcels of land gives trail users, including equestrians, the opportunity to step back in time, following the footsteps of famous Bay State residents.

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December/January 2017

Access and Resources Maps aren’t available at trailheads.

Download and print at home, or use your smart phone at concordma.gov.

Maps of the Davis Corridor and Malcolm Preserve are at carlisletrails.pbworks.com.

Although Concord offers several parking choices in its trail guide for Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods, the majority aren’t appropriate for horse trailers. On Monument Street, parking is on the side of the road, just beyond the Minute Man National Historic Park.

There’s six feet in which to pull off on the side of the busy road. Parking is between two houses, in front of another, and there’s no sign. Going down what’s also a driveway for a home on Monument Street, you come to the information kiosk. Don’t attempt parking a trailer on the side of Monument Road.

Estabrook Road is a narrow dead end. Parking is on the side of the street, and shouldn’t be utilized by horse trailers; if there are other cars, it will be nearly impossible to turn your trailer around.

Parking on the side of Lowell Road has the largest pull-off area; however, it’s the busiest street with a 40 mph speed limit. If you park here, come

from the south; parking is on the right side. There are breaks in the stone wall to access the trails. Use 1156 Lowell Road in your GPS. The Malcolm Preserve parking in Carlisle is safest for a two-horse trailer, but arrive early — it’s not large. Access is from Malcolm Meadows on 319 Stearns Street; go into the housing area (once a farm), and the small parking lot is the first left.

Wherever you decide to park, arrive early and park strategically. Whoever comes along behind you probably won’t be horse savvy and may block you in. I also recommend riding on a weekday.

As there are no restroom facilities available for Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods, you can briefly park at the Minute Man National Historic Park on Monument Street, and cross the street to use restrooms. The parking area is a loop; use several spots for a horse trailer. Don’t park in the trolley spaces, as the Liberty Trail tour trolleys arrive regularly. There are several large horse farms on Monument Street. Other farms, horse properties, and farm stands dot the landscape, reminding us of the agricultural history of the area.

In such a highly populated area, with land connected by trails and managed by several different groups, private and public property intermingles.

Please be respectful of signage, rules, and property owners.

Out Riding It Coming from the parking lot at Malcolm Preserve in Carlisle, Punkatasset Conservation area is a twomile ride on Two Rod Road via Estabrook Woods. There are miles of trails to explore in Estabrook Woods, too. You can reach Punkatasset Hill and Monument Street via the trails, or ride toward Chamberlin Woods.

Two Rod Road was built in 1697 to connect Concord and Carlisle, and is two rods or 33 feet wide. (All land in England was traditionally measured by the rod, an old Saxon unit that equals 16.5 feet. In the Saxon land-measuring system, 40 rods make a furlong, the length of the traditional furrow as plowed by ox teams.) The original stone walls that created the roads’ width still border the trail in many places as you ride along.

Estabrook Road, built in 1735, was the better-known connection between Concord and Carlisle. Most, including Thoreau, referenced it as Old Carlisle Road. Minute Men used this route to join the fight at Concord on April 19, 1775, and it’s the only known Minute Man route-of-march in original condition. It stretches the length of the preserved land, down to the dead-end street and trailhead.

The trails are steeped in history, beautiful, and cross through open fields. You’re riding the same woods and trails made famous by Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

In sections where it’s the old roads, trails are wide enough for horses to travel side by side.

On Punkatasset Conservation Land, the main trails have yellow blazes, the secondary trails have red blazes, and connecting trails have blue blazes. I spent the majority of my time on Estabrook and Chamberlin Woods trails and, if you have your maps, they’ll be easy to follow.

Indian Rock, a car-sized boulder, and Curly Pate Cliff overlooking Bateman’s Pond were both named by Thoreau and were favorite destinations in his wanderings. Thoreau Pond is in Estabrook Woods, along with a sawmill ruin site that belonged to Thoreau’s father, John.

Parting Advice Numerous trail users are in Punkatasset and Estabrook Woods. I encountered off-leash dogs, bicycles, and hikers.

We’re ambassadors for all equestrians, so please say hello to everyone, keep manure off the trails, and clean up around your trailer.

This is a Lyme tick area and warning signs are posted at all trailheads.

Take proper precautions for yourself and your horse, and complete a tick check after your ride.

Other horseback riding options abound in Carlisle. Equestrians may also explore the trails on 57-acre Foss Farm, the 11-acre Fox Hill, and Great Brook Farm State Park with its 934acres. More information on all of these locations can be found on the Carlisle Public Works website.

If you live in the area, Carlisle Land Conservation is looking for land stewards. These volunteers keep notes of species and trail maintenance needed.

In the words of Thoreau, “All good things are wild and free.”

Happy trails!

Stacey Stearns, a lifelong equestrian from Connecticut, enjoys trail riding and endurance with her Morgan horses.

Massachusetts Horse

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Mindful Connections

A Better Relationship Through Your Horse’s Eyes

by Nicole Birkholzer

W

henever we feel challenged in our relationship with horses, it’s always helpful to look at the situation from the horse’s point of view. By understanding how the horse experiences the world, we can often find a solution that is easy and effective.

finishing up their morning hay in a large paddock. All three seemed to get along well, the herd order was clearly defined, Beau was the alpha, Pebbles the second in command, and Casey was at the bottom of the herd.

Watching Beau, he seemed interested

A New Pony Lisa and her 12-year-old daughter, Jen, had been taking riding lessons for a couple of years and just recently committed to sharing Beau, a large pony. Lisa had looked at several ponies, but when Beau stepped off the trailer into the auction yard, her heart jumped and she decided he was the one.

A stall was prepared, hay was delivered, and when Beau came home, life seemed initially perfect. Until the day Jen rode Beau in the back field. Beau spooked, took off, and ran back to the barn, where he unloaded the girl.

Though Jen was not seriously hurt, Lisa was horrified about what she had just witnessed. After the initial shock, she started to wonder: could she trust the pony?

The following week, Lisa’s husband turned Beau out in a grassy field. The moment Beau passed through the gate, his nose dove for the grass. Lisa’s husband, struggling to close the gate behind the pony, gave Beau a slap on the butt to move him forward. Beau didn’t like that and kicked the husband.

Now there were two family members who’d been hurt by the pony, and Lisa wondered again if Beau was the right pony. What would Beau come up with next? Would he kick someone while being cross-tied? Get bossy in the paddock? Already, at times he was hard to catch. Lisa was concerned and became fearful when approaching the pony.

Apprehension and Wariness At that point, Lisa contacted me and asked if I could help her evaluate the situation. She was considering putting Beau up for sale and wanted to give him one more chance.

When I arrived at the farm, Beau and his two herd companions where 22

December/January 2017

in us, but wary. His eyes showed a defensive alertness that made him seem less approachable than the other two horses.

When Lisa and I entered the paddock, she admitted that she was apprehensive. She had a hard time catching Beau; he often turned his hind end to her and she was never sure what to make of it. Was he going to kick her, try to run off? She didn’t know how to approach. It almost seemed as if she were looking for Beau to step up and help her, but in reality, Beau was looking for Lisa to step up and take charge of the situation.

Horses, by nature, look for guidance either from their herd mates or from us, their human companions. At this point, Beau had only experienced Lisa as the person who fed, watered, and groomed him. Lisa had not established herself as someone who gave Beau direction, and so he had learned to rely on himself.

Pony Perception When I explained to Lisa how her pony was seeing her she realized that she had

been so caught up in her worries that she never even considered how Beau had perceived her.

To change the dynamic, I asked Lisa to take the rope halter I’d brought along and put it on Beau. As Lisa approached Beau, she focused on applying the rope halter — she had never seen one. While Lisa inspected the rope halter, Beau looked at her cautiously. What was that in her hand? What was she up to?

I stopped Lisa and asked her to look at Beau. Could she read his expression? Her focus on the task was unsettling for Beau. In order to establish a connection with Beau, she needed to consider him as part of the team and give him a chance to become comfortable with her approach.

Lisa took a deep breath, petted Beau’s neck, and explained to him what she was about to do.

Once the halter was in place, I asked Lisa to invite Beau for a walk around the paddock without making him walk. She could, however, use a gentle tug on the lead rope, if needed. As soon as Lisa took the first step, Beau followed willingly. Next, I asked her to stop on an exhale. Beau stopped next to her without hesitation.

When Lisa walked on again, Beau changed his position from walking next to her to walking right behind her. He was following her, willing to accept her to lead him. Lisa was amazed.

Personal Pony Space She walked over to me and, while we talked about her experience, Beau stood quietly and content next to her.

Occasionally Lisa reached out to pet Beau, and each time, he gave her small signals that he was not in the mood to be touched. The skin around his nostrils tightened, and his ears moved ever so slightly more backward. When I pointed out these expressions to Lisa, she admitted that Beau was generally not interested in being touched, but that it was hard for her to keep her hands off of him.

She had noticed that there were certain parts of his body — in particular

near his hind end — that Beau didn’t like being touched at all. He had moved away from her hand. He had also shied away when she walked past him with a broom or pitchfork. She wondered if Beau had been hit in the past.

I explained that when we feel the desire to touch our horses, feel their soft coat, rub their faces, we need to pay attention to the horse’s signals.

Sometimes a good scratch is just what our horse wants, but often our horses just like to share space with us, without physical touch. If Lisa respected Beau’s need for space, he’d start appreciating her being mindful. And, over time, he would start trusting her more and become more willing for her to focus on areas where he was initially uncomfortable with touching. As a result, she’d develop great rapport with him, which would eventually allow her to reintroduce him to brooms and pitchforks in a nonthreatening, new way.

Lisa understood. Recognizing Beau’s needs and looking at things from his point of view would help her build a trusting relationship with Beau.

eyes were soft, he was relaxed. Lisa couldn’t get over it; she felt like she was looking at a different pony. I pointed out that she was a different person and, yes, that had changed Beau into a different pony. She was no longer afraid, she had compassion, and she saw the opportunity to be a guide for Beau.

In order to become respectful partners with our horses, we need to observe. We need to look at the horse so we will see the signals our horse provides, and we need to see the world through our horse’s eyes so we can

Nicole Birkholzer is a horse advocate, animal intuitive, and the author of Pet Logic. As the creator of Mindful Connections©, Nicole is pioneering a new approach to horsemanship where horses are honored as soul companions and partners. To learn more about Nicole’s service go to nicolebirkholzer.com.

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Massachusetts Horse

23

Overherd

News in Our Community South Coast Series Hunter Show Grazing Fields Farm hosted the South Coast Series Hunter Show on Sunday, September 18, in Buzzards Bay. It was a busy day with all three rings in action hosting 40 classes, ranging from Lead Line to the South Coast Equitation 2'6" Medal.

It may have seemed like just another show day for most in attendance, but there was a special horse in the crowd on this blustery September Sunday. Olaf arrived last year at Don’t Forget Us Pet Us, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in North Dartmouth. Olaf was donated to Holy Ghost Feast in Westport, where local farmers and families raise animals and then donate them to be auctioned off.

Olaf was kept there for a few weeks; some of the kids rode him around, but Holy Ghost Feast really didn't know what to do with him. Olaf had made his rounds amongst farmers and families in the Westport area and they were out of ideas of where he should end up. They trucked him to a local dealer who refused to buy him, even when he was offered to the dealer for free. The horse dealer called Deb Devlin, a cofounder of Don’t Forget Us Pet Us, to see if she would take him. Deb somehow found herself saying “yes” immediately, followed by giving her address.

When Olaf arrived, it was crystal clear that he was an unhealthy horse. He suffered from untreated Cushing’s disease, melanomas inside and out, ligament and suspensory issues, and severely neglected teeth and hooves. Deb took one look in his eyes and knew he was a special horse, and she would step up to bat 24

December/January 2017

for him. It became Deb’s personal mission to make sure that Olaf stayed around in this world long enough to know the feeling of being truly loved.

Slowly they chipped away at his medical issues and, in return, he began to open up his big furry heart

bons that hung in the barn on the other horse’s stall doors. Deb would see him with his ears up, neck stretched way out, sniffing the ribbons and looking at them so admiringly. She and Olaf had a secret — she told him that maybe, just maybe, he could win his very own

pleasure of meeting Olaf and I can say, firsthand, that the glow of pride that shone from his eyes is like nothing I have ever seen before. He’s incredibly lucky to have the support of Deb and the entire team of Don’t Forget Us Pet Us behind, him as they are a phenomenal team of supporters, and Olaf is blessed to have them in his corner.

n Cora Shillinglaw

Blue Rider Stables Vaulting Team Blue Rider Stable’s new competitive vaulting team from South Egremont, coached by Anna Seagull, participated in its first vaulting competition on October 30 at Copper Hill Equestrian Center in West Suffield, Connecticut.

For more information, contact Anna at vaulting@bluerider.org.

AMHA Reserve Youth of the Year Massachusetts native Shannon Quinlan of London, Ohio, rode Ms White Cinch to win the Open Freestyle Reining division at the All American Quarter Horse Congress on October 15. Ms White Cinch, with afterburners glowing red, was Shannon’s mount for her Top Gun inspired routine. Ms White Cinch is owned

by Angela Ream of Springfield, Ohio.

and let them in. Eventually, Olaf strengthened enough to carry a tiny rider under saddle while doing a little bit of walking and trotting for a few minutes. The look of pride on his face when he carried a child on his back was priceless. Deb knew that Olaf had found his calling and this fueled her motivation to continue his journey to recovery, and for him to experience the feeling of giving and receiving love even more.

When Olaf had to stay wrapped and on barn rest 24 hours a day, Deb would enter the barn on numerous occasions to find Olaf standing next to the horse show rib-

ribbon someday. It became Deb’s dream for Olaf that his health would finally be at the point where he could withstand a short day at a local horse show.

Deb reached out to Melody Fretschl, barn manager at Grazing Fields Farm and manager of the South Coast Series, to see if there was anything Mel could do to help her and Olaf achieve their goal of earning a ribbon of his own. Finally, Olaf had the opportunity to make his debut in the show ring, share his journey, and achieve his goals of being loved and receiving love with some amazing ribbons as the cherry on top. I had the

Halifax resident Kellie Saccocia was named the American Morgan Horse Association 2016 Reserve Youth of the Year. Kellie, 17, received a unique prize package worth $1,500.

The AMHA Youth of the Year contest is held annually in October during the Grand National and World Championship Horse Show in Oklahoma City. The contest consists of four parts: a written exam, an oral presentation, a judging contest, and a horsemanship pattern.

Competing with 15 talented Morgan youths, Kellie also won the Horsemanship Pattern portion of the event.

When she isn’t riding, this Silver Lake Regional High School senior enjoys dance and works at a daycare center.

Georgetown resident Emily Mulligan finished in

the top five of the competition. Sophie Proctor of Newbury was one of the finalists, as was Maria Tartaglione of Hopkinton.

helped bring them back to health and happiness.

The event raised approximately $42,000 for the horses at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm; planning for

n Suzy Lucine

prestigious equitation finals in the country — the five-day New England Equitation Championships (NEEC).

The esteemed judging panel was made up of Ken Krome

The MSPCA at Nevins Farm’s annual Horses Helping Horses Fall Beach Ride was held at the beautiful Crane Beach in Ipswich on Saturday, October 22. Though terrible weather was forecast, Mother Nature came through for horses in need, and 80 riders enjoyed a warm, misty ride on the beach.

Guests traveled from as far away as Pennsylvania and Vermont just for the experience of riding their beloved animal at such a beautiful setting to help horses in need.

Riders ranged in age from mid-70s to as young as 11.

Many alumni horses attended and participated — an incredibly rewarding experience for the community that

© Carole MacDonald

MSPCA Horses Helping Horses Beach Ride

MSPCA at Nevins Farm’s Horses Helping Horse Fall Beach Ride at Crane Beach in Ipswich had 80 riders and raised approximately $42,000!

next year’s ride at Crane Beach is already in the works.

n Julia Pesek

New England Equitation Championships October marked the 41st anniversary of one of the longest running and most

(course designer), Otis Brown, Diane Carney, Steve Heinecke, Betty Oare, and USHJA president-elect Mary Babick. Ken’s courses had several bending lines, testing the riders’ control of track.

The week began with the 24–45 Division, with a win

from Natalie Hartley, and Melissa Groher taking the reserve. Haruko Yukie Banks, of Marshfield Hills, won the 46 and Over Medal, edging out Anne Keesler of Concord. In what was truly a family affair, Steven Violin won the Older Adult Sportsmanship Award and his mother, Joan Violin, won the respected Sue Brainard Award for her continued dedication to NEEC. The following day, in a test of the top three riders, Haleigh Landrigan, of Marston Mills, won the 18–23 Medal, and Emma Schauder was reserve.

Junior Open sections ran Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening, several juniors took the written phase of the Horsemanship Class.

Originating at the NEEC, this was the 20th year of the Katie Battison Memorial Horsemanship Class, which looks to identify the overall top junior horseperson by combining a rider’s written test score, practicum, and

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Massachusetts Horse

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(See photos on page 36.) n Katharine Oikle

26

December/January 2017

Norwell Vet at Western Dressage World Championships Norwell equine veterinarian Dana Pantano, DVM, of Black Pond Veterinary Service, placed third overall in the Level 1 Amateur Senior division at the Western Dressage World Championship Show in Ohio during October. “We had scores pretty consistently in

Morgan National and World Championship More than 950 horses from across the country and Canada graced the rings during the 44th annual Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City, October 8 to 15. They competed in more than 300 classes for $400,000 in prize money.

Kristen Whittaker

first round score in the Junior Medal Finals.

Family and friends gathered for a fun-filled dinner and a commemorative video celebrating juniors in their last year. Katherine Bundy was awarded the Sportsmanship Award.

Saturday afternoon held the much-loved Challenge of the States Team Costume Class. Juniors with top scores in the Open competed on teams of six to represent their home states — with absolutely no help from their trainers allowed! New York won the gold, with Massachusetts Team 4 winning silver. Thanks to an anonymous donor, teams competed for money to donate to a charity of their choice.

On Sunday, the Junior Medal Final featured 189 riders. Between rounds, Hannah Woolley of Medfield was crowned overall winner of the Katie Battison Horsemanship Award. Top scoring juniors who have never competed in a 3'6" final were eligible for a separate set of ribbons — that win went to Hope Cushman.

Katherine Bundy won the High Point Junior Rider Award. But it was Abigail Brayman’s consistency in all three phases (first and second round, and test) that landed her the title of NEHC Junior Medal Champion. She trains with the team at North Run. Reserve went to Ava Stearns of Chilmark, North Run team member.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ray Francis; the Younger Adult Sportsmanship Award went to Rebekah Chenelle and Rebecca Zimble of Stoughton; the Groom’s Award to Julio Lozano; Adult Judge’s Choice Award to Condor; and, Junior Judge’s Choice Award to Finnegan.

To learn more, go to newenglandequitation.com.

Dana Pantano, DVM, and Baron’s Dynamite at the Western Dressage World Championship Show.

the mid-sixties, earning us a first, second, and fifth,” says Dana, who partnered with Baron’s Dynamite, her 10year-old Quarter Horse mare.“I’m really proud of Dyna and how she handled the whole experience.”

“I learned a lot and more about what the judges are looking for with western dressage,” says Dana. “I'm incredibly thankful to my family for supporting me though this — I couldn’t do it without your love and support. I’m very thankful to Kristen Whittaker for being such a good friend and trainer, her family for joining me in this journey, and hauling us to and fro.

Thank you to all my clients for putting up with my absence while I pursued this dream, and to the covering vets for making it possible. Finally, thank you to all the wonderful trainers whose expertise I’ve tapped into and will continue to do so!”

Matt Kwapich of Bernalillo, New Mexico, was the show manager and Cindy Mugnier of Belchertown served as show chairwoman.

“The Grand National was such a wonderful event,” says Cindy. “It made me so proud to be a member of the Morgan family. The level of competition, the displays of horsemanship and sportsmanship, the attendance of thirteen members of the Swedish Morgan Horse Association, and the participation of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Wishes4Our Heroes organizations all contributed to a memory-filled week.”

Rodney Hicks of Richmond was one of 20 judges for this world championship event. “Overall, the championship classes were well filled with good quality horses and it was a well-run show.”

Roger Brown of Best of Both Worlds in Middleboro rode Garlands Ace of Spades

to the Reserve Western Pleasure Gentlemens Finals Championship. Bill and Alice Nazzaro own the gelding.

Mike Carpenter, of Carpenter Stables in Sutton, drove HK Dickie Deville, owned by the Hedi Kunkel Foundation, to the Reserve Four-Year-Old Pleasure Driving Stallion and Gelding Champion. Mike also presented his MCS Jackie O to the World Futurity Yearling Filly Championship and the Reserve Yearling Filly Championship.

Melissa Morrell of Moreland Farm in West Brookfield brought two horses to the show. For the second year in a row, she coached Nancy Andreano and her sporty gelding, Miles Of Fortune GCH, into the winner’s circle as the Reserve World Classic Pleasure Driving Champions. This duo also was the Reserve Classic Pleasure Driving Ladies Gelding Champion and went on to be named Reserve World Ladies Classic Pleasure Driving Champions.

Under Melissa’s tutelage, Annika Jack won the Junior Exhibitor Hunter Pleasure 12 & Under Championship. She was riding MEM Wasn’t Me, a chestnut gelding owned by Kerri Glowik.

After graduation from the Academy Division last year, Annika also won the Hunt Seat Equitation 12 & Under Championship with the same horse.

Nikki Rae Woodworth of KGA Morgans in Mendon had a great show. For the second year in a row, she won the World Park Saddle Championship unanimously, riding As Predicted GCH. The son of Liberation First Star also won the qualifying class in this division for owner Deborah Hamilton.

Nikki drove LC Amazing Spiderman to win the FourYear-Old Park Harness Mare & Gelding Championship.

Owner George Fayad was thrilled with this win.

Nikki was Reserve ThreeYear-Old Park Harness Champion with KGA Peg O My Heart, owned by Maggie Hood. With another one of Maggie’s young horses, Its All My Style, Nikki was the Reserve Three-Year-Old Pleasure Driving Champion.

Riding MEM Evening On Broadway, Nikki was the Reserve English Pleasure Mare Champion. Daisy Beisler owns the mare.

Cindy Mugnier won the World Ladies English Pleasure Championship riding her Ledgefields Sovereign Son. Under the direction of David Rand, Cindy also won the Ladies English Pleasure Gelding Championship.

Hannah Kelley of Mendon also rode under the Rand stable banner. She won the Youth Park Saddle Championship riding Cedar Creek Flambeau GCH. The following day, Hannah had to get back to college, so David took the chestnut gelding back into the ring at the end of the week and was Reserve World Park Saddle Champion.

Raintree Rebecca GCH and owner Keeley Guenther of South Hadley had a great show under the direction of Scott Travers of Driftway Meadows in Westport. They won the Junior Exhibitor Hunter Pleasure 17 Championship and the Reserve Youth Hunter Pleasure Mare Championship. Then they came back to win both the World Junior Exhibitor Hunter Pleasure 16–17 and the World Youth Hunter Pleasure Championships.

Kasey Saccocia of Halifax won the coveted Saddle Seat Gold Medal finals, riding under the direction of Kristen and David Cater. She rode KH Show Byz, owned by Judy Raitt.

Lainey Gilmartin of Wilbraham won the Walk Trot Hunter Seat 11-Year-Old Equitation Championship and followed with the Reserve World Walk Trot

Hunter Seat 10 & 11 Championship. She was riding Apostrophe under the direction of Mike and Liz Murphy of Legacy Stables in Middleboro.

After a top ten ride in her age division, Jenna Blocher went back into the ring and took on all comers to win the World Junior Exhibitor Classic Pleasure 13 & Under Championship, riding Whispering Warning.

The Murphys also coached 11-year-old Emily Iovanna of Middleboro to a Reserve World Junior Exhibitor Classic Pleasure Driving Championship with Dragonsmeade Days Go On. This duo was reserve champion in the 13 & Under qualifier.

“I’m so grateful to the exhibitors, owners, trainers, show officials, staff, and the show committee for all their efforts in making a week of fabulous competition and camaraderie,” Cindy says.

n Suzy Lucine

Ashley Cormier On Her Way to a Bronze Medal Ashley Cormier of North Brookfield was featured in the April/May issue of Massachusetts Horse in the Youth Spotlight. Since then, she earned her first score over 60 percent at third level on her Quarter Horse Lena that she has ridden through the levels. “It was only the second time she tried third level,” says Susan Rainville, Ashley’s instructor and owner at White Spruce Farms in New Braintree. “One more score and she’ll earn her bronze medal. It’s possible for everyone. You don’t have to buy an expensive horse.

You just need a healthy horse and a big work ethic. Wish Ashley luck for next show season!”

Bolton Equestrian Property

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MFBF Equine Study A recently released Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) study estimates that the state’s equine industry has a total annual economic impact of $386.6

(508) 335-3175 Massachusetts Horse

27

million and employs more than 7,000 people in both fulltime and part-time positions.

“The equine industry is important to Massachusetts’s economy,” says MFBF president Ed Davidian, who farms in Northborough. “Besides the industry’s contribution to the economy, it contributes to the preservation of the Commonwealth’s open space and rural landscapes.”

According to the study, which was prepared by Farm Credit East, there are about 26,000 horses in Massachusetts, located on roughly 2,300 acres. On those farms, the equine industry maintains stewardship of 40,786 acres of owned land, plus an additional 9,291 acres of rented land for a total of 50,077 acres. This provides significant non-monetary benefits to the state and its residents.

For the purpose of the study, the equine industry was defined as all activities involved in breeding, raising, selling, and using horses for commercial and economic purposes. This included horse owners, racing horse owners, working horse owners, boarding facilities, rehabilitation facilities, therapeutic riding facilities, vets, farriers, racetracks, showing events and other horse shows, as well as riders who do not own their own horses, but are involved in the industry.

“This study will help us lobby more effectively for the equine industry,” Ed says.

“Now that we have a document that details the economic impact and the issues that the industry faces, we can be more impactful with our work on Beacon Hill and in Washington.”

To see the full study, go to mfbf.net.

Stoneleigh-Burnham School British Horse Society Testing Site Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield has been certified as a testing site for the British Horse Society (BHS).

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December/January 2017

Becoming a testing site allows the Stoneleigh-Burnham Equestrian Center to offer a comprehensive program in the world-renowned BHS education and certification program.

“We’ve been teaching the British Horse Society certification program for nearly three years, and our equestrian center has already been designated as a BHS-approved facility, having met those high standards,” says George Halkett, director of the equestrian center. “Now, we can administer the qualifying tests for BHS right here on campus, which means we can provide riders with BHS certification from start to finish.”

In 2013, StoneleighBurnham became the first and only U.S. secondary school to teach the worldrenowned BHS certification program for riders. Long recognized internationally for setting the highest standards for riding instruction, stable management, and horse training, the BHS system complements Stoneleigh-Burnham’s dedication to providing students who aspire to careers in horsemanship with a firm academic footing at the high school level.

BHS students who have trained under a licensed BHS instructor may take their exams at Stoneleigh-Burnham.

Students who enroll in the BHS program at StoneleighBurnham study under George.

The school accepts BHS students from both its academic school and its community riding program.

To learn more about this program, contact George at (413) 774-2711or ghalkett@sbschool.org. For more information, visit sbschool.org.

Bridgewell’s EquineAssisted Psychotherapy Program For three years, Bridgewell has worked with Ironstone Farm in Andover to develop the curriculum for an eightweek program that provides a nonthreatening and motivat-

ing learning environment. The program empowers participants by giving them a sense of control, breaking down defense barriers, enhancing problem solving skills, teaching empathy, responsibility, and patience for adults with persistent mental illness through its Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy Program at Lowell Adult Day Treatment. For many involved in the program, the horses have been a gift that allows them to better deal with anxiety and other mental health issues.

To learn more, visit bridgewell.org.

Ipswich Youth Nominated for USEF Award Alexandra Ferris, of Ipswich, was named the winner of the 2016 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Sportsman’s Award. The primary goal of this award is to identify potential future leaders in the equine industry and to recognize youth for their achievements. Applicants should demonstrate ongoing commitment to the promotion of equestrian sport, serve as a positive role model for his/her peers, be involved in community activities, and exhibit characteristics that exemplify sportsmanship principles.

Alexandra is a fourth generation horsewoman who has experience both competing and working for top Morgan, Saddlebred, Hackney, Friesian, and hunter/jumper facilities.

Additionally, she participates on a team for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association; she has worked on horse shows with the Massachusetts Youth Council; and she has achieved two letters in the USEF Varsity Letter Program.

In addition to being a well-rounded horsewoman, Alexandra plays soccer, takes four advanced placement classes in high school, and participates in numerous clubs, teams, and volunteer opportunities, including her school’s mentoring program, the National Honor Society, events for senior citizens, the Red Cross, and at barn camps.

As the winner of the 2016 USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award, Alexandra will receive a $1,000 grant and commemorative trophy. She will also be a nominee for the USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year.

n Suzy Lucine

Kasey Saccocia Wins AMHA Gold Medal in Saddle Seat Equitation Kasey Saccocia of Halifax has been awarded the American Morgan Horse Association gold medal in Saddle Seat

Equitation. Eighteen-year-old Kasey defeated other top performers from across the country to earn the AMHA’s highest equitation honor.

Kasey earned the gold medal at the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Show in Oklahoma City in October.

Congratulations, Kasey!

Overherdisms • “I don’t spread manure in shorts.”

• “Keep a lid on that coffee.”

• “I used to be an English snob but now I ride Quarter Horses.”

• “Only 31 to go before I have to do anything.”

Massachusetts Horse

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Partners Our goal is to foster connections within the horse community throughout the Bay State, and one of the ways we do this is with our Partners Program.

Massachusetts organizations that partner with us receive a free one-year subscription for each member; space in the magazine for news, events, and photos; and a link from mahorse.com to its website. Interested? Email partners@mahorse.com.

Club to a camping and riding weekend in Barre. It was nice to meet new riders and, in turn, they invited us to join their fall foliage ride at Northfield Mountain. Both rides were spectacular!

June also opened our show series that goes throughout the summer. Thank you

We had a great turnout for our annual horse show.

Thanks to all the volunteers.

We couldn’t do it without you!

As a nonprofit organization, we offer many equine activities such as lectures and clinics in the winter, and trail rides, obstacle competitions,

As we transition into winter, we reflect back on our year and are happy to say we had another fun year. We do it all to give scholarships to those in our community. Nothing is more satisfying.

In March, we held our annual Cabin Fever Night — a night of games, a silent auction, and a speaker. Bill Fournier talked about living with bears among us.

Again, thanks to Linda Eiben for being so generous with her time so we could offer our annual shot clinic.

And Doug Walther gave his time and dental expertise so we could offer a dental clinic. Both traveled to multiple barns to offer our members a convenient way to receive yearly shots and dental care.

In May, we held our annual Spring Trail Ride.

Margo Petracone and Larry Marshall work tirelessly to organize this and our Fall Trail Ride in October. We offer a weekend of camping, great food, lots of laughs and, of course, beautiful trail riding. These events take a lot of planning and people to ensure success. Thank you to club president Lynne Goodnow for taking on the task of running the food booth for our events.

Lauren Johnson organized a gymkhana for the club, and we sponsored a Rachel Hackett clinic. A big thank you to both these ladies. These events were fun and informative.

In June, we invited Hampshire County Riding 30

December/January 2017

Massachusetts Horse

Barre Riding and Driving Club

More than 12 Hampshire County Riding Club members enjoyed a ride at Hammonasset Beach in Connecticut. A first for the club!

to Jill Poulin who does a tremendous amount of work to make sure everyone has a fun and safe time. Her work continues after the shows end, adding up points and organizing our show banquet.

Throw in a couple of parades and that wraps up our year.

None of these events happen without the support of all of those who help by volunteering their time, food, silent auction items, and donations. Thank you to all who helped this year.

All of us at the Barre Riding and Driving Club wish you a safe and happy holiday and a happy new year. ’Til next year . . .

7 Denise Kellicker

Granby Regional Horse Council GRHC celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and what a great year. We had many trail rides and some proceeds supported other local organizations such as Heroes, Hounds, and Horses, as well as The McDonald Nature Preserve in Wilbraham.

and an annual horse show.

Our goals and purpose, then and now, are to present equine educational venues, host recreational and competitive events, and save and maintain trails and open space for equestrian use.

Thank you to everyone and anyone who has helped or enjoyed any of our activities.

Please continue to support us, as we will keep on supporting all things equine.

7 Diane Godek

Hampshire County Riding Club Many thanks to our members, their families, and our 4-H volunteers for helping maintain and improve our grounds, and making this year’s activities a success. We improved our woodland obstacle course by placing obstacle description and sponsor signs by each obstacle; we have continued to open additional trails, making our second annual Woodland Trail Obstacle Challenge even better. The obstacles remain in place seasonally for member use.

For our third annual

Scavenger Hunt on October 29, we again used our two miles of woodland trails to hide Halloween-themed objects, which riders had to find in a timed event.

Participants seemed undeterred by the lingering snow coating the trails, and all the objects were recovered.

One of the favorite annual rides of the season was the Northfield Mountain Foliage Ride held on October 16. It was a perfect fall day, where riders could choose their own route for the ride to the mountain top reservoir and back, followed by a potluck barbecue at the picnic area.

The annual meeting and elections took place on October 21 at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg. The program featured John Perdrizet, D.V.M., who described his use of acupuncture and Chinese medicine in treating equines and companion animals.

Members also had the opportunity to bring back memories of the “old days” with a display of HCRC historical photos.

In January, the activities committee will be scheduling the 2017 calendar of events.

We’re already planning a day-long Equine Emergency and Barn Fire Prevention Seminar to be held in May at Carrier’s Farm in Southampton. In June, a weekend with a Cathy Drumm Western Dressage Clinic, and a Heidi Potter Obstacle and Centered Riding Clinic will be followed by a judged two-phase competition featuring riding a dressage test and completion of an obstacle course.

This will be held at our Goshen club grounds.

To learn more, contact Diane at (413) 268-3372, visit hampshirecountyriding club.org, or find us on Facebook.

7 Diane Merritt

New England Equestrian Center of Athol Like most clubs, NEECA ends the riding season with a banquet — our annual Fall Social. If year-end attendance is any indicator of an organization’s growth, it must have been a banner year for NEECA. One hundred and twenty people, the largest crowd ever, came out on November 5 to catch up with friends, enjoy the buffet, and bid on an incredible array of items offered in both silent and live professional auctions.

Thank you to everyone for your support, and congratulations to all of those receiving awards, especially the 2017 Volunteer of the Year — Ann Degnan of Petersham. Ann worked at almost every NEECA event at and away from the equestrian park, and she initiated our relationship with Ralph C. Mahar Regional High School, through which two students, Tori Hanks and Samantha MacDonald, fulfilled their community service requirements by doing everything from registering clinic participants to cleaning up the arena at events.

For her efforts, Ann received an embroidered NEECA jacket and a round of welldeserved applause.

As the 2016 schedule ended, plans for NEECA’s 2017 schedule began to take shape. To start penciling-in your calendar, visit neeca.org. We already have events scheduled for every month from March through November, and will be adding more as we confirm dates with a number of clinicians and organizers. All of our successful annual events will be back, and we hope to offer some new opportunities for riders and drivers of all disciplines and ages to come out and enjoy the equestrian park.

Two events under consideration are Long Ears and Short Legs, a combined Miniature horse and donkey and mule show, probably in the spring, as well as an English/Western Dressage Schooling Show in the fall.

Finally, the dates have been published online for the 2017 NEECA gymkhana series. The monthly gymkhanas have become very popular with everyone from parents with lead liners to advanced riders and drivers. We hope you’ll consider joining the fun, too, when the games begin in April.

We’d love to hear what you would like to see planned at the equestrian park in Athol. Please let us know and remember that our facilities are also available for rental to other groups and organizations.

Here’s wishing everyone a happy holiday season!

7 Laurie Neely

Old North Bridge Hounds ONBH fall hunt season was an exciting and event-packed one, indeed. An early highlight of the season was our Annual Blessing of the Hounds Hunt, held on October 1 at Longfellow’s Historic Wayside Inn in Sudbury. The sight was something to behold — a Scottish bagpiper leading ONBH’s huntsman, staff, and hounds across the front of the historic inn and over the bridge toward the chapel, followed by the field of horses and riders. The blessing ceremony took place in front of the quaint Martha-Mary Chapel, which most often hosts brides and grooms, not hounds. The hounds kept their composure for the ceremony, and by the conclusion of the blessing, when the huntsman cast the hounds, they were all too eager to move off. The hunt was followed by much friendship and fun as the huntsman, staff, members, and guests enjoyed libations in the inn’s 1707 tavern with the innkeeper, barkeep, and some unexpected and unusual visitors — contestants in a road race reality television show who had a checkpoint in the tavern. As the ONBH hounds headed back toward the kennel and the last of the road race participants drove off, members and guests retreated to one of the inn’s cozy historic din-

ing rooms for a sumptuous repast.

The blessing was followed the very next day by our Fall Hunter Pace from Red Rail Farm through some of our spectacular hunt territory in Lincoln. Those who rode enjoyed the day and many went home with smiles and ribbons as mementoes of the day. The results are posted at oldnorthbridgehounds.org in the NEWS section.

On October 8, ONBH members enjoyed a joint hunt hosted by the Norfolk Hunt Club at Tufts in Grafton. Many other hunts on Tuesdays and Saturdays kept the hounds and our staff and members out and enjoying beautiful New England fall days.

The weather gods shone down on the horses and riders who drove from as far as northern Vermont to compete in the Annual New England Hunts Championship Hunter Trials on October 30 at Great Brook Farm in Carlisle.

ONBH organized and hosted, and it could not have

been a nicer fall day for the annual event. Riders from Green Mountain Hounds, Wentworth Hunt, Norfolk Hunt, Myopia Hunt, and Old North Bridge Hounds competed.

The results for Novice Division: first went to Christa Kemp of Green Mountain and second to Yuki Igari of Wentworth; Open Novice: first went to Alyssa Lapierre and second to Katharine Cusick; Novice Pairs: first went to Christa Kemp and Katherine Donis of Green Mountain and second to Thekla Alcocer and Molly Johns of Old North Bridge Hounds; 3'6" division — first went to Dominic Cammarata of Norfolk and second to Rhonda Watts-Hettinger of Old North Bridge Hounds; Open 3'6" — first went to Jennifer Berryman and second to Meaghan Cleary; and the prestigious Heard Cup 4' — first went to Michael Paparo of Norfolk Hunt and second to Julie Wheeler of Norfolk Hunt, each of whom took home two very handsome trophies. Complete

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Massachusetts Horse

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The Raucher family and the Heritage Farm staff and community would like to thank our many friends and business contacts across New England for their support as we ride into our 45th year!

We wish each and every one of you, whether you have two legs or four, a very Happy and Healthy Holiday Season with Best Wishes for 2017!

results are available at oldnorthbridgehounds.org. Thank you to all the hunts, riders, horses, and volunteers who came out to make the New England Hunts Championship Hunter Trials a wonderful event.

With the hunt season concluded until next spring, ONBH members and friends are looking forward to our annual Masters Dinner on December 10 at Wedgewood Pines Country Club in Stow. ONBH has plans in the works for a repeat of the popular Sidesaddle Clinics with Rhonda Watts-Hettinger, so watch the website and sign up to receive our email announcements. Happy trails!

7 Susan Goldfischer

West Newbury Riding & Driving Club

We Have Your Horse . . .

Always a nice selection of horses and ponies for sale.

Watch videos and view photos at HeritageFarmEasthampton.com.

New England Stock Horse Show Series

Five Individually judged Classes: Ranch Horse Handiness, Ranch Trail, Ranch Pleasure, Ranch Reining, and Working Cow Horse.

WNEPHA Hunter & Dressage Shows

Open to buy, sell, and trade horses 7 days a week, by appointment.

Nice Horses for Nice People.

The R aucher Family 30 Florence Rd., Easthampton, MA (413) 527-1612 HeritageFarmEasthampton.com State Auctioneer license # AU450

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December/January 2017

West Newbury Riding and Driving Club is pleased to invite everyone to visit our new and improved website, now active after months of planning and hard work. To learn more about Pipestave Hill Equestrian Area, maps, and trail information; events and entry forms (including online entry submissions); volunteer opportunities; and membership applications, visit wnrdc.com.

If you’re new to WNRDC, membership has its perks: a discounted spring shot clinic by SRH Veterinary Services to the immediate West Newbury area, open invitations to club socials and activities, and the right to vote in board member elections. Already a member?

Be sure to renew this month so you don’t miss out!

The Adventure Trail held in September was a huge success with 37 riding participants. All proceeds from this event are donated to the Essex County Trail Association. The Pipestave Hill Horse Trials was held in October, despite the soggy weather; a full slate of brave horses and riders competed in the rain. Proceeds from this event help support local nonprofit organizations and the maintenance of the Pipestave riding grounds.

At the annual meeting in November, the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Cindy Foote, former board member, social host, fence judge, jump adopter, and cross-country course mowing fairy. The Volunteer of the Year was announced as Molly Lister, who works with dressage setup, cross-country control, and is a member of Team Pipestave. The biannual volunteer raffle winners went to two guys with the same first name — Ralph Williams, frequent fence judge, and Ralph Marrone, who helped with show setup.

To see updates on educational lectures to be provided by the club this winter, visit wnrdc.com and our Facebook page.

7 Liz Russell

Horsemanship Awards Massachusetts Horse gives back to our community through its Junior Horsemanship Award program. The award is given to the junior exhibitor who has shown the best horsemanship and sportsmanship at a competition in the Bay State. This is the junior who is not winning, but who is working hard with a great attitude.

This junior is taking good care of her horse, cheering on her friends, and helping others.

Want to give out a free Massachusetts Horse Junior Horsemanship Award at your upcoming event? Email award@mahorse.com.

These awards are made possible by Stephanie Sanders, Massachusetts Horse publisher, and Absorbine.

Dressage Schooling Show Series Join us in 2017 for our popular Dressage Schooling Show Series!

Dressage Clinics Bill McMullin Sharon McCusker Bill Warren Verne Batchelder

Like us on Facebook to see who’s coming!

Arianna Sylvester Massachusetts Horsemen’s Council Classic Horse Show and Pleasure Finals Briggs Stable, Hanover

Mikala Bourgeoise Westfield Riding Club 4-H & Open Show Westfield

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Stalls available in the 16-stall barn with attached indoor arena. Nestled at the base of Mt Toby this “Massachusetts Horse Farm of Distinction” provides outstanding care for you and your horse.

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Maryelizabeth Methot Granby Saddle Club Open Show Dufresne Park, Granby

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Massachusetts Horse

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Bay State Happenings Steve Robinson Cow Sorting Clinic Calico Performance Horses, Berkley

Cora Shillinglaw

To see more Bay State Happenings, find us on Facebook.

34

December/January 2017

Bay State Happenings Eastern Regional Pleasure Trail Ride North Brookfield

Karen Morang

To see more Bay State Happenings, find us on Facebook.

Seasons Greetings &Happy New Year!

Thank you to all our customers and friends who made this a year to remember.

Join us in 2017 for more jumper shows, clinics, hunter paces, starter horse trials, and our Schooling Horse Trials Championships!

Apple Knoll Farm

25 Forest Lane, Millis, MA ~ (508) 376-2564 ~ appleknoll.com Massachusetts Horse

35

Bay State Happenings New England Equitation Championships Challenge of the States Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield

Massachusetts Horse

To see more Bay State Happenings, find us on Facebook.

Western New England Professional Horsemen’s Association’s

Hunter/Equitation Shows January 29 March 5 March 12 April 30 May 14 May 21 May 28

Blythewood Stables Blythewood Stables White Horse Hill Bellwether Stables White Horse Hill Blythewood Stables Overmeade Farm

Banquet

Dressage Shows

English and western dressage classes. Tests offered for English include (USEF): Introductory Tests A, B, C; Training Level Tests 1, 2, 3; First Level Test 1. Western Tests (WDAA): Introductory Level Tests 1, 2, 3, 4; Basic Level Tests 1, 2, 3, 4.

March 26 April 23 April 30 May 21

Higher Ground Farm Heritage Farm Higher Ground Farm Stockade

February 4

Featuring year-end awards in many divisions.

wnepha.com

36

Brands we carry Abady Alpo Poulin Blue Seal Precise Canidae Pro Plan Diamond Purina Eukanuba Purina Mills Friskies Science Diet Iams Sensible Choice Kaytee Solid Gold Merrick Triple Crown Natural Balance Triumph Nature’s Recipe Wellness Neura Whiskas Nutrena Nutro Wild and caged bird Wysong and small animal feed.

Old Mother Hubbard Kakadu Oilskin Coats.

Pedigree Pinnacle

Country Corral

Full schedule can be found at:

35 Main St., rear, Rte. 9, Williamsburg, MA (413) 268-0180 countrycorral@aol.com

An organization for horsemen, by horsemen.

Right behind A-1 Hilltown Pizza in Williamsburg center.

December/January 2017

M-F 9:30AM - 5:30PM, Sat 9:30AM - 4:00PM

Northampton

This Olde Horse

Have a photo for This Olde Horse? Email editor@mahorse.com.

Francis Klay, Hampshire County Riding Club member, driving Amos in the Northampton Parade. Photo courtesy of Lee Root, Francis’ granddaughter.

Are you and your horse having problems?

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Specializing in starting young horses correctly.

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References available. The cost of the one-

Recovery . Maintenance . Performance Therapeutic Massage . Bodywork . Reiki

(413) 320-7690 jobunny@comcast.net

month training is $1,000, including board.

It’s a Pleasure Training with Peter Whitmore (978) 652-2231 . www.itsaple asure training.com

Independence Stable, LLC

Dressage Schooling Shows Including Western Dressage Tests!

Lessons . Training Boarding . Clinics

Massachusetts Horse

37

DRESSAGE

Susan Rainville

Dressage Training from the Ground Up USDF bronze & silver medalist Centerline Scores three-star rider 16 years teaching & training

White Spruce Farms

Central Massachusetts (978) 257-4666 whitesprucefarms.com

events Massachusetts

December

3 IHSA WESTERN SHOW, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley. ihsainc.com.

3 NORFOLK HUNT BEACH RIDE, Horseneck Beach, Westport. norfolkhunt.com.

3 MYOPIA HUNT CHRISTMAS HUNT BALL, South Hamilton. myopiahunt.org.

4 EQUITATION SHOW, Herring Brook Farm, Pembroke. herringbrookfarmma.com.

4 UPHA-14 WINTER TOURNAMENT, Chrislar Farm, Rowley. upha-14wintertournament.com.

4 IEA HUNT SEAT SHOW, Rising Star Equestrian Center, Medway. rideiea.org.

11 AZRAEL ACRES YEAR-END AWARDS BANQUET, Village Haven, Forestdale, Rhode Island. azraelacres.com.

11 IEA HUNT SEAT SHOW, Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center, South Hadley. rideiea.org.

4 HRC CHRISTMAS PARTY, Meadowbrook Restaurant, Hanson. hansonridingclub.org.

17 – 18 USEF A-RATED EQUITATION SHOW, Pembroke. herringbrookfarmma.com.

4 RANCH SORTING, Sandy Hollow Stable, Rehoboth. sanski2193@aol.com.

18 WINTER DRESSAGE SCHOOLING SHOW, Spencer. campmarshallequestriancenter.net.

5 MHC ANNUAL MEETING, Hilton, Milford. mahorsecouncil.com.

18 RANCH SORTING, Sandy Hollow Stable, Rehoboth. sanski2193@aol.com.

6 CRDA MEETING, location TBA. crdressage.org.

26 – 31 SMARTPAK STORE YEAR-END CLEARANCE BLOWOUT, Natick. smartpak.com/retailstore.

10 WINTER INDOOR JUMPER SHOW, Greenfield. sbschool.org.

10 CCDS CHRISTMAS PARTY, Devonfield Inn, Lee. colonialcarriage.org.

MANURE REMOVAL FOR LARGE & SMALL FARMS

11 WINTER OPEN SCHOOLING SHOW, Spencer. campmarshalleqeustriancenter.net.

4 IEA HUNT SEAT SHOW, Volo Farm, Westford. rideiea.org.

9 WNRDC YANKEE SWAP, Newbury. wnrdc.com.

Got Manure?

10 – 11 SMARTPAK STORE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE, Natick. smartpak.com/retailstore.

30 JUMPER SHOW, Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center, South Hadley ridemhc.com. mhcriding.com. (Yes, a Friday!)

Master Class Clinic with Linda Parelli Three days: June 23 - 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Cheshire Fairgrounds, Swanzey, New Hampshire

Roll-off containers 10 to 30 yards on call or scheduled service. Full stock pile removals.

Walter Zettl & Linda Parelli

978-425-6181 MitranoRemoval.com Proud sponsor of Bear Spot Musical Freestyle and Oakrise Farm Shows.

38

December/January 2017

Linda & Pat Parelli

Must pre-purchase tickets.

LindaParelliMasterClassNH.com

January

7 EQUITATION SHOW, Herring Brook Farm, Pembroke. herringbrookfarmma.com.

7 IEA HUNT SEAT SHOW, Dana Hall School, Wellesley. rideiea.org.

8 RANCH SORTING, Sandy Hollow Stable, Rehoboth. sanski2193@aol.com.

8 IEA HUNT SEAT SHOW, Herring Brook Farm, Pembroke. rideiea.org.

14 WINTER INDOOR JUMPER SHOW, Greenfield. sbschool.org.

14 HHRC AWARDS BANQUET, location TBA. briggstable.com.

21 HRC AWARDS BANQUET, Halifax Country Club. hansonridingclub.org.

21 MHC/NEHC HUNT SEAT SHOW, Saddle Rowe, Medway. saddlerowe.com.

21 NSHA ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET, location TBA, northshorehorsemens.org.

22 RANCH SORTING, Sandy Hollow Stable, Rehoboth. sanski2193@aol.com.

22 IEA HUNT SEAT SHOW, Volo Farm, Westford. rideiea.org.

HORSES SMALL ANIMALS EXOTICS

29 OPEN SCHOOLING SHOW, Grafton. hillside-meadows.com.

29 WNEPHA HUNTER SHOW, Blythewood Stables, Pittsfield. wnepha.com.

February

4 MHC/NEHC HUNT SEAT SHOW, Saddle Rowe, Medway. saddlerowe.com.

4 – 5 ELISA WALLACE CLINIC, Hillside Meadows Equestrian Center, Graton. hillside-meadows.com.

ACUPUNCTURE CHIROPRACTIC HOMEOPATHY PHYSICAL THERAPY

5 RANCH SORTING, Sandy Hollow Stable, Rehoboth. sanski2193@aol.com.

Want to be more effective & harmonious with your horse?

Now Accepting Boarders New 20,000-square-foot Facility!

Sarah Sheehy offers: Riding Instruction . Training Sessions Groundwork Lessons . Clinics

Horse Leases Available partial $275/mo., half $400/mo., full $525/mo.

Beginner to Advanced Instruction Hunt Seat/Equitation, Dressage, Eventing, Western

Sarah Sheehy Training & Horsemanship

Brimfield, MA

Central Massachusetts

413-245-3083 . fairviewfarmsjjc.com

(978) 724-3403 . sarahsheehy.com

RER Ponies Training, Lessons & Sales

by CHA certified, BHS trained, and USDF competitor

Heather Reynolds Dostal Freelance Instruction . Lesson Horses U.S. Pony Club Riding Center Charming facility offering: Boarding, training, pony starting, and tune ups. Professional, well rounded, goal-oriented lesson program for riders of all ages beginner through advanced.

8 Circle Dr., Hatfield, MA RERponies.com . 413.427.2026

Large and Small Animal Medicine & Surgery Serving the North Shore since 1951 Helen Noble, VMD . Robert Orcutt, DVM Derek Cavatorta, DVM PhD Kirstin Anderson, DVM . Ashley Taylor, DVM Mary Ann Montesano, DVM

295 High St, Ipswich, Mass.

978-356-1119 (ph) . 978-356-5758 (f)

HOUSE CALLS FULL-SERVICE SMALL-ANIMAL HOSPITAL GROOMING PET SUPPLIES

FAMILY VETERINARY CENTER BUD ALLEN, M.S., D.V.M. ROBIN KARLIN ALLEN, D.V.M. 99 MAIN ST. (RTE. 9) HAYDENVILLE, MA (413) 268-VETS FAMVETS.COM

www.srhvets.com Massachusetts Horse

39

the

neighborhood

ASSOCIATIONS •••••••••••••••••••••••••• BAY STATE TRAIL RIDERS ASSOCIATION bstra.org Keeping trails open for equestrian use; organized trail rides; volunteer opportunities for trail clearing and maintenance.

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY RIDING CLUB Goshen, MA, (413) 268-3372 hampshirecounty ridingclub.org Monthly trail rides, woodland obstacle course, scavenger hunt, and clinics.

BARN CATS •••••••••••••••••••••••••• PAWS WATCH Newport, RI, (401) 848-9867 pawswatch.org Barn cats need homes! Healthy, fixed, vaccinated barn cats provide rodent control. Delivered!

Your Everything Equine “white pages”

EQUINE ENTERTAINMENT •••••••••••••••••••••••••• DALE PERKINS/MESA FARM Rutland, MA, (508) 886-6898 daleperkinshorseshow.com Trick riding and much more.

EQUINE MASSAGE •••••••••••••••••••••••••• EQUISSAGE NE/NY MA, CT, RI, (860) 564-7759 equisportmt@sbcglobal.net Integrated body work for performance horses: reiki, Masterson Method, sports and therapeutic massage, myofascial release, cranio-sacral therapy, infrared photon therapy.

HORSEBACK AND BODY Northampton, MA, (413) 320-7690 jobunny@comcast.net Massage therapy for horses, humans.

DRESSAGE •••••••••••••••••••••••••• BRADFORD EQUESTRIAN CENTER Haverhill, MA, (978) 374-0008 Dressage for all disciplines and driving.

Keith Angstadt, USEF dressage judge.

HAFLINGERS •••••••••••••••••••••••••• SOMMER HILL FARM Adams, MA, (413) 743-9301 sommerhaflingers@yahoo.com One Haflinger is never enough.

CATHY DRUMM Pittsfield, MA, (413) 441-5278 cathydrumm.com Clinics, lessons, training, western and English dressage, hunter/jumper.

HORSES FOR SALE •••••••••••••••••••••••••• HERITAGE FARM Easthampton, MA, (413) 527-1612 farmheritage.com Auctions, sale horses, shows, clinics, boarding, lessons, and training.

FAIRFIELD FARM Rochester, MA, (508) 763-8038 dressageatfairfieldfarm.com Boarding, instruction, training, indoor.

MEG HILLY South Deerfield, MA, (802) 595-1258 mhilly@mtholyoke.edu USDF “L” judge; FEI rider; private, semiprivate lessons; clinics.

NANCY LATER LAVOIE Ashby, MA, (561) 714-7447 nancylaterdressagehorses.com Training, lessons, clinics. Accepting new students of all levels. Top-class facility.

WHITE SPRUCE FARMS New Braintree, MA, (978) 257-4666 whitesprucefarms.com Dressage shows, instruction, all levels/ages.

EQUINE DENTISTRY •••••••••••••••••••••••••• WENDY BRYANT, EQDT Northampton, MA, (413) 237-8887 ravenhillequine.com Natural balance equine dentistry.

Improved topline, maximized performance, increased flexion. Serving New England/New York.

NORTHEAST EQUINE VETERINARY DENTAL SERVICES LEAH LIMONE, DVM Topsfield, MA, (978) 500-9293 nevds.com Licensed professional veterinary dentistry.

Routine preventive care, maintenance, diagnostics, extractions.

40

December/January 2017

STRAIN FAMILY HORSE FARM Granby, CT, (860) 653-3275 strainfamilyhorsefarm.com New England’s largest quality sales stable. Supplying NE with horses and ponies since 1967. Forty family, trail, and show horses to choose from. New loads every week. We buy horses, take trade-ins and consignment horses. Great threeweek-exchange guarantee. Find us on Facebook.

INSTRUCTION/TRAINING •••••••••••••••••••••••••• BACK BAY FARM Ipswich, MA, (978) 356-0730 backbayfarm.com Lessons, boarding, training, and sales.

INSURANCE •••••••••••••••••••••••••• CORINTHIAN INSURANCE AGENCY Medway, MA, (877) 250-5103 corinthianequine.com Equine protection specialists.

DON RAY INSURANCE Marshfield, MA, (781) 837-6550 donrayinsurance.com Farm, mortality, major medical and surgical, clubs, shows, instructors.

FARM FAMILY INSURANCE farmfamily.com Carver: (508) 866-9150 Easthampton: (413) 203-5180 Great Barrington: (413) 528-1710 Marlborough: (508) 485-3800 Middleborough: (508) 747-8181

Northborough: (508) 393-9327 Norwood: (781) 255-2002 South Deerfield: (413) 665-8200 Southwick: (413) 569-2307 Topsfield: (978) 887-8304 Westford: (978) 467-1001 Williamstown: (413) 458-5584 Worcester: (508) 752-3300 JUDGES •••••••••••••••••••••••••• MARY BRAZIE Egremont, MA, (413) 528-2367 arabpinto13@yahoo.com Judging open, 4-H, carded.

ED GOLEMBESKI Gill, MA, (413) 863-2313 riker119@comcast.net 4-H, open shows, clinics, lessons.

NORWEGIAN FJORDS •••••••••••••••••••••••••• BLUE HERON FARM Charlemont, MA, (413) 339-4045 blueheronfarm.com Quality, purebred registered Fjords.

PHOTOGRAPHY •••••••••••••••••••••••••• KAREN MORANG PHOTOGRAPHY Find us on Facebook.

Equine photography and events.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA N. Dighton, MA, (508) 863-0467 melissaroot.com Equine portrait photography and events.

REAL ESTATE •••••••••••••••••••••••••• ALTHEA BRAMHALL HOMETOWN REALTORS North Quabbin region, (617) 678-9300 althearealtor@gmail.com Real estate is more fun with horse people!

EQUINE HOMES REAL ESTATE LLC MA and NH, (800) 859-2745, ext. 704 equinehomes.com sally@equinehomes.com Sally Mann, Realtor, MA and NH. BERNICE GIARD REALITY Oakham, MA, (508) 882-3900 oakham@charter.net Country properties.

STABLES, FARMS, BOARDING •••••••••••••••••••••••••• CARRIER’S FARM Southampton, MA, (413) 527-0333 rcarrier0333@gmail.com Indoor, outdoor arenas, round pens, fields.

GLENCROFT FARM Southampton, MA, (413) 527-8026 kraymond24@hotmail.com Boarding, pastures, ring, trails, fields.

STRAIN FAMILY EQUESTRIAN CENTER LLC Southwick, MA, (413) 569-5797 strainfamilyequestrian.com Boarding, lessons, training, sales, therapeutic riding.

TACK •••••••••••••••••••••••••• CHESHIRE HORSE Swanzey, NH, (877) 358-3001 cheshirehorse.com English, western, feed, supplies, trailers.

DR. COOK BITLESS BRIDLE (866) 235-0938 bitlessbridle.com Safe, gentle, effective alternative to using a bit.

SMARTPAK RETAIL STORE Natick, MA, (508) 651-0045 smartpak.com/retailstore Tack, equipment, supplements, blankets, apparel, gear, gifts, clearance outlet.

TRANSPORTATION •••••••••••••••••••••••••• J.R. HUDSON HORSE TRANSPORTATION West Bridgewater, MA, (508) 427-9333 jrhudsonhorsetrans.com Serving the lower 48 states and Canada.

NORTHEAST EQUINE TRANSPORTATION Southbridge, MA, (774) 633-1499 nehorsetrans.com Serving Northeast, PA, NY, NJ, DE, MD. VETERINARIANS •••••••••••••••••••••••••• FAMILY VETERINARY CENTER Haydenville, MA, (413) 268-8387 famvets.com Traditional and alternative care for dogs, cats, exotics, and horses.

SOUTH DEERFIELD VETERINARY CLINIC DR. ROBERT P. SCHMITT S. Deerfield, MA, (413) 665-3626 sdvc@aol.com Equine medicine, surgery since 1969.

Yes!

Advertise for just $49 a year?

Have your business and/or services in Massachusetts Horse and on MAHorse.com for just $49 for the year. Plus, receive a free one-year subscription .

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Is This Your Horse?

Gentlemen’s Farm in Wayland

Scott Porter

Eight pastoral acres in Wayland, Mass., located less than 20 miles from downtown Boston. Drive through the impressive gates and wind up the driveway through this breathtaking compound which includes a beautiful four-bedroom Colonial-style main home with details such as wide pine floors, four fireplaces, exposed beams, open gourmet kitchen/family room, and breathtaking pastoral and pond views.

Is this your horse?

This photo was taken at the October 2 WNEPHA Hunt Seat Show at Heritage Farm in Easthampton. If this is your horse, contact us at win@mahorse.com for a month’s supply of SmartPaks and more from the Bay State’s very own SmartPak, smartpakequine.com.

advertiser index A & B Insurance Group .................... 9

Greystone Realty ........................... 25

A & B Lumber Barns ....................... 21

Hampshire Tractor Corp. ............... 37

Angel View Pet Cemetery .............. 43

Heritage Farm ................................ 32

Apple Knoll Farm ........................... 35

HorseBack and Body ..................... 37

Bacon’s Equipment ........................ 32

Independence Stable .................... 37

Barnstable Farm and Pet ............... 31

It’s a Pleasure Training .................. 37

Black Horse Real Estate ................. 41

Jenn’s Tack & Blanket Service ........ 6

Betsy Merritt ................................... 5

Linda Parelli Master Class ............. 38

Blue Dog Leather ........................... 23

Mitrano Removal Service .............. 38

Blue Seal Feed .............................. 44

Natural Balance Equine Dentistry . 17

Bob Burrelli ................................... 38

Nicole Birkholzer ........................... 23

Bolton Equestrian Property ........... 27

RER Ponies .................................... 39

Camp Marshall Equestrian Center . 7

Saddle Rowe .................................. 29

The Carriage Shed ........................... 2

Salty Dawg Equine Services ............ 7

The Cheshire Horse ....................... 34

Sarah Sheehy

Country Corral ............................... 36

Training & Horsemanship ........ 39

Crimson Acres ............................... 37

SmartPak Retail Store ................... 28

Essex County Trail Association ...... 17

SRH Veterinary Services ................ 39

DK Saddlery ................................. 21

Triple Crown Feed ........................... 4

Don Ray Insurance Agency ............. 6

WNEPHA ........................................ 36

Fairview Farms JJC ........................ 39

White Spruce Farms ....................... 38

Family Veterinary Center ............... 39

Xenophon Farm ............................. 33

Farm Credit East ............................. 19

Yered Trailers ................................ 17

Farm Family Insurance ................... 42

The property boasts a New England scene — traditional six-stall horse barn, paddocks, heated pool, stone gazebo/pool house, and separate guest house/home office set among meadows and a pond.

Stonework and elaborate landscaping complete the picture perfect setting for this sophisticated country estate — perfect for an equestrian property or a special country retreat.

Unique opportunity to call this gentleman’s farm home, – and yours!

Call for a private showing before this unique property hits the market this spring! $3,499,000.

Laura Meier Broker/Owner, GRI, CRS Residential/Commercial Real Estate mobile: (508) 208-5215 . office: (978) 443-1790

BlackHorseRealEstate.net Massachusetts Horse

41

CARVER 508.866.9150 Richard.Blair@farm-family.com

NORWOOD 781.255.2002 Francis_Bingham@farm-family.com

EASTHAMPTON 413.203.5180 Josh.Nadeau@farm-family.com

SOUTHWICK 413.569.2307 themasonagency@farm-family.com

GREAT BARRINGTON 413.528.1710 Bob.Sinopoli@farm-family.com Dominic.Sinopoli@farm-family.com

TOPSFIELD 978.887.8304 Dale_Johnson@farm-family.com

MARLBOROUGH 508.485.3800 Martin_West@farm-family.com MIDDLEBOROUGH 508.747.8181 Andrew_Brodeur@farm-family.com Kevin.Sullivan@farm-family.com NORTHBOROUGH 508.393.9327 Jeff.Pichierri@farm-family.com

42

December/January 2017

WESTFORD 978.467.1001 Donald.Ludwig@farm-family.com WILLIAMSTOWN 413.458.5584 MaureenOMara@farm-family.com WORCESTER 508.752.3300 Thomas_Carroll@farm-family.com

Massachusetts Horse

43

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID MONROE, CT PERMIT

Amherst Farmer’s Supply 320 Pleasant St., Amherst (413) 253-3436 amherstfarmerssupply.com A.W. Brown Pet & Garden Center 144 Shaker Rd., E. Longmeadow (413) 525-2115 . awbrown.com Bernardston Farmer’s Supply 43 River St., Bernardston (413) 648-9311 bernardstonfarmerssupply.com

Brattleboro Agway 1277 Putney Rd., Brattleboro, VT (802) 254-8757 . achilleagway.com Bridgewater Farm Supply 1000 Plymouth St., Bridgewater (508) 697-0357 bridgewaterfarm.com Country Corral 35 Main St., Williamsburg (413) 268-0180 . countrycorralonline.com

Dodge Grain Company 59 N. Broadway, Salem, NH (603) 893-3739 . dodgegrain.biz Erikson’s Grain Mill 113 Main St., Acton . (978) 263-4733 Essex County Co-op 146 S. Main St., Topsfield (978) 887-2309 essexcountycoop.net Hardwick Farmers Co-op Exchange Rte. 32, Gilbertville . (413) 477-6913 hardwickfarmers.net

#140

Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain 2 Gavin Ave., Adams (413)743-0163 hoosacvalleycoalandgrain.com Sweet Meadow Feed & Grain 111 Coolidge St., Sherborn (508) 650-2926 sweetmeadowfeedandgrain.com Thibault’s Poultry 92 N. Spencer Rd. Spencer (508) 612-1907